Lycopene in Preventing Prostate Cancer in Patients Who Are at High Risk of Developing Prostate Cancer

OBJECTIVES: * Define the toxicity and safety of lycopene administered as a food-based delivery system as a chemoprevention agent in patients who are at a high risk of developing prostate cancer. * Define the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution in patients receiving this regimen. * Characterize surrogate endpoint biomarkers (SEBs) in the peripheral blood, buccal mucosa, and the prostate itself, which will provide evidence of biological activity relevant to a chemoprevention effect. * Characterize the oxidative stress state of the individual by studies of DNA oxidation in the prostate and buccal mucosa, as well as DNA oxidation and lipid peroxidation within the peripheral blood. * Define the effects of lycopene through a food delivery system on prostate histology (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia), markers of cellular proliferation \[PCNA\], and apoptosis in the prostate. * Evaluate the effects of lycopene on the serum levels of total prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free PSA, and PSA density. * Provide the basic knowledge in reference to toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and SEBs needed to proceed to a large phase II or III lycopene study in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation, multicenter study. Patients receive oral lycopene in tomato paste and olive oil, once, twice, or three times daily for 3 months. Cohorts of 6 patients receive escalating doses of lycopene until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. Patients undergo buccal scrapings and blood collection periodically during study for pharmacokinetics and biomarker studies. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed for 1 month. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 18 patients will be accrued for this study.